Don't Kill Cash: GB News campaign hits HUGE 250,000 signature goal as pressure mounts on Government

Don't Kill Cash: GB News campaign hits HUGE 250,000 signature goal as pressure mounts on Government

The GB News Don't Kill Cash petition has now reached 250,000 signatures as pressure mounts on the Government to introduce legislation to protect physical cash

PA/ GB News
Georgina Cutler

By Georgina Cutler


Published: 07/08/2023

- 19:51

Updated: 08/08/2023

- 09:30

More than five million adults still rely on cash in the UK

The GB News Don't Kill Cash petition has now reached 250,000 signatures as pressure mounts on the Government to introduce legislation to protect physical cash.

The campaign is rapidly gaining momentum as the People's Channel continues fighting to protect vulnerable Britons who rely on cash and are being left behind.


More than five million adults still rely on cash in the UK and it’s used in six billion transactions every year, but there are strong vested interests pushing for it to be permanently replaced by debit and credit cards and other electronic payments.

Public and politicians’ support for the petition comes from every part of the political spectrum.

** DON'T KILL CASH - SIGN OUR PETITION NOW **

Cash machines at BarclaysGB News is putting pressure on the Government to protect the status of cash as legal tender and as a widely accepted means of paymentPA

Speaking about the remarkable milestone, GB News presenter Nigel Farage said: "The cashless society is coming. I think this is something the Chancellor of the Exchequer needs to intervene to say that legal tender needs to stay as legal tender.

"And I'm really worried about this and the amount of control they can exercise over us if we have fully digital accounts and money."

The petition calls on the Government to introduce legislation protecting the status of cash as legal tender and as a widely accepted means of payment in the UK until at least 2050.

Among those supporting the campaign is RMT union leader Mick Lynch who gave his backing to the petition, warning of the dangers ditching rail ticket offices could have across the country.

The campaign received a boost after the plans to shut almost all rail ticket offices in England were thrown into chaos as a result of a public consultation on the proposal.

The campaign has also drawn in support from politicians including Labour frontbencher Lucy Powell and Isle of Wight MP Bob Seely.

The shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, Lucy Powell, told GB News: “We do need to protect cash, I think it's an important issue to highlight."

She added: “Whether that's becoming cashless and everybody paying for things electronically, or whether that's people wanting more human interaction when it comes to dealing with problems and services and utilities, and public services and so on.

A wallet with both cash and bank cardsMore than five million adults still rely on cash in the UK and is used in six billion transactions every yearPA

"You don't always want everything to be digital, but there are great opportunities with that for more efficiencies and productivity and better services.”

GB News' Economics and Business Editor Liam Halligan explained that people "are sick and tired that they can't use cash anymore".

He said: "It costs businesses money to handle cash and if we're losing a lot less cash then that means there's more so-called surveillance capitalism where the banks can follow your patterns of expenditure, internet companies can follow your patterns of expenditure and of course that data can be sold to third party companies who are interested in marketing."

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